"Director: Ted Newsom"

• We Remember Marilyn | DVD | (01/05/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A sex symbol becomes a thing", says Marilyn Monroe, her voice being approximated by Trudi Jo Marie Keck, who also doubles as the editor of We Remember Marilyn, an historical appreciation of the life of the much-vaunted sex goddess. "I always thought symbols were things you clashed together", she continues to muse, "but if I'm going to be a symbol of anything, I'd rather it be sex than some other things there are symbols for. I know how they'll remember me: 'Here lies Marilyn Monroe, 34-24-36'. But, anyway, they'll remember me." And remember her they do, in this concoction written and directed by Ted Newsom (Ed Wood--Look Back in Angora). Newsom doesn't bother to cite the source for the above words ascribed to Ms. Monroe so it's hard to say where they came from, but they pointedly set the tone for any discussion of sex-symbol iconography. And how better to sum up a career that moved between celebrity and the highest seats of power on a vehicle of sex, and ended early and abruptly. Film clips, photos (where Marilyn the icon truly shone), and a rich array of stock footage form the backdrop for the proceedings. At one point, the voice of director John Huston enriches the soundtrack. --Jim Gay, Amazon.com

• Elvis - The Complete Story | DVD | (01/05/2000) from £5.25   |  Saving you £2.00 (50.13%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Through photos, stock footage and film trailer clips, Elvis: The Complete Story offers a chronological survey of the life and movie career of "The King". This is a pretty well-travelled road--so well travelled this disc would be more aptly titled Elvis for Beginners. There are all the usual landmarks, especially his relationship with his mother, the oppressive influence of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, the drug use, the Memphis Mafia. One major highlight is Elvis's appearance on The Frank Sinatra Show, in which the two perform a duet. The disc gets additional credibility from interviews with some of Elvis's co-stars, including Mary Ann Mobley, Francine York, Sue Ann Langdon, Gary Lockwood and Julie Parrish. About half of the narration is presented in "the words of Elvis Presley", though the source of these words is never identified. Still, the actor impersonating the voice of Elvis does a good job with what could have easily turned into silliness. After all, the film would not be "complete" without at least one Elvis impersonator (and this one has two). If this whets your appetite for more Elvis, you will want to turn to the real thing--Elvis: That's the Way It Is. --Jim Gay, Amazon.com